#WeRemember
🌟 On January 27, 1944, Leningrad was completely liberated from the Nazi blockade.
8️⃣7️⃣2️⃣days of the barbaric siegeby the Nazis of our northern capital, which lasted for an unprecedented period from September 8, 1941 until January 27, 1944, and had devastating consequences, terrible sufferings caused by the German invaders to the people of Leningrad, finally ended.
According to historical calculations, over a million people perished during those years, including more than 600'000 of children, women, the seniors, and also the wounded and disabled soldiers — they were dying, because of the Nazis, of starvation, cold, exhaustion and disease.
#LestWeForget: The unbending people of Leningrad of all ages, men and women from small to large, demonstrated extraordinary Heroism and Courage and went through, with dignity, all the inhuman sufferings by the Nazi barbarians and their accomplices. Despite starvation, living under permanent bombing and shelling by the German and Finnish artillery, the people of Leningrad withstood the siege, defended their city and made their invaluable substantial contribution to the Great Victory.
The Nazi criminals did not avoid accountability and paid a high price for the outrageous blockade — the enemy army Group 'North' lost over 900'000 men during the siege and was ultimately destroyed by the Red Army in the Baltic region, Karelia and East Prussia.
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❗️The history of mankind has never witnessed anything comparable to the Blockade of Leningrad in terms of the scale of the tragedy and the extent of the suffering endured by people.
The Nazis and their accomplices followed Hitler’s direct order — to hold Leningrad under a tight siege, fire at anyone crossing the frontline and seek to exterminate all the people in the city. Leningrad was completely encircled in early September 1941, cut off from the rest of the country. The only way to get in and out of the city was by air or across Lake Ladoga’s ice — the route across the lake came to be known as the#RoadOfLife.
During the first weeks of the siege, Nazi troops and the Finns, who were holding blockade of Leningrad from the north, shelled the city with heavy and dense artillery fire, resulting in food warehouses being burnt down. As Leningrad received most of its food from other regions of the country, it immediately began to suffer from food shortages, primarily a lack of bread. Only 13 bakery plants remained in operation to serve almost 2.5 million people.
Given those acute shortages of food supplies, there were strict rationing norms for bread. From November 1941, factory workers received 250 grammes, while children were entitled to just 125 (!) grammes of bread per day. Many people began to die of starvation.
❗️ However, despite all those inhuman conditions, the City never ever gave up fighting. Life in Leningrad went on and never stopped for a second.
***
The Red Army tried to break the blockade on many occasions. Having fought multiple battles, with the fiercest combats taking place on the 'Neva Bridgehead' on the River Neva’s left bank, our forces succeeded in partially lifting the siege in January 1943 as part of Operation Iskra — 'Spark'.
🎖OnJanuary 27, 1944, the Siege of Leningrad was completely lifted following a rapid offensive by the Red Army, with the Leningrad and Novgorod regions being also liberated from the Nazi invaders. Wehrmacht troops were forced to retreat to the Baltics, where they were later totally defeated and destroyed.
💬Maria Zakharova:
The defence of Leningrad has become a symbol of courageof the Soviet people. <...> The people of Leningrad saved their city despite incredible sufferings — they have saved it as their human dignity.
That is probably the greatest heroism of the people of Leningrad, the greatest sacrifice they made for all of us — not just for the people of our country but for the world as a whole.
(From the briefing by Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, January 22, 2026)
🎗 As part of the Embassy's ongoing memorial activities, Russian diplomats laid flowers on the graves of Soviet servicemen buried in Shaftesbury (Dorset), Tidworth (Wiltshire) and Aldershot (Hampshire).
Such visits are conducted on a regular basis. Together with committed compatriots, we systematically inspect and help maintain military burial sites across the United Kingdom ensuring they are properly cared for.
Preserving the memory of those who gave their lives in defence of the Motherland is not only our moral duty, but also a matter of historical justice — one that must remain above political expediency, particularly as we approach the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
#Victory81#WeRemember
#Victory81
🌟On April 17, 1944, the Battle for Right-Bank Soviet Ukraine concluded – also known as the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive – one of the largest and longest campaigns of the Great Patriotic War.
It lasted from December 24, 1943, to April 17, 1944. Vast forces were committed on both sides during the operation – around 4 million people in total. The troops of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts, commanded by Nikolay Vatutin, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky and Fyodor Tolbukhin, faced two German army groups – Army Group South and Army Group A.
☝️This was the only operation of the Great Patriotic War in which all six Soviet tank armies were advancing simultaneously.
After the liberation of Kiev, the Nazis sought to hold on to Right-Bank Ukraine at any cost. This area was of crucial military and strategic importance to the Germans: losing it opened the way for the Red Army to the Carpathians, Moldova, Romania and onward to the Balkans.
The enemy had concentrated over 1.7 million soldiers and officers, 16,800 guns and mortars, 2,200 tanks and assault guns, and around 1,500 aircraft on Right-Bank Ukraine.
The Soviet High Command committed 2.3 million troops, 28,800 guns and mortars, over 2,000 tanks and self-propelled artillery systems, and 2,300 aircraft.
***
The first offensive against the enemy was launched in late December 1943, when units of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke through German defences and liberated Korosten, Brusilov, Kazatin, Skvira and other towns and villages.
On January 5, 1944, the 2nd Ukrainian Front went over to the offensive and by mid-January had liberated Kirovograd. In early February 1944, near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, Soviet troops encircled a large German grouping. All attempts to break out and relieve it were thwarted, and by February 17-18 the pocket had been eliminated.
In the first half of February 1944, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated Lutsk, Rovno and Shepetovka. At the same time, the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts smashed several major enemy groupings, liberating Apostolovo, Nikopol and Krivoy Rog.
After Nikolay Vatutin was seriously wounded in a clash with Banderites, Georgy Zhukov took command of the 1st Ukrainian Front. On March 4, 1944, his troops resumed the offensive, liberated a number of cities and cut the key railway lines Ternopol-Proskurov and Lvov-Odessa.
In April 1944, the Red Army fully liberated the Nikolayev and Odessa regions, as well as a significant part of Moldova.
The 4th Ukrainian Front then commenced the operation to liberate Crimea.
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⚔️The results of the Dnieper-Carpathian Operation were of exceptional military and strategic importance. Soviet troops advanced 250-450 kilometres deep into enemy-held territory and routed the southern wing of the German strategic front.
The enemy suffered devastating losses: 10 divisions and 1 brigade were completely destroyed, while another 59 divisions, including 12 tank and 3 motorised divisions, lost between half and three-quarters of their personnel.
Most of Right-Bank Ukraine was liberated: Khmelnytsky, Vinnitsa, Ternopol and Chernovtsy regions, parts of the Rovno and Ivano-Frankovsk regions. 57 major cities were freed from Nazi occupation.
The Red Army’s advance to the borders of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania became a major factor in the rise of the national liberation movements in those countries. The Nazis were later driven out of those territories through joint efforts, with Soviet troops playing the decisive role.
The liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine ended the years of terror imposed by the Nazis and their loyal OUN-UPA nationalist accomplices.
🕯 According to various estimates, atrocities of the Nazi occupiers and nationalist punitive units on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR claimed the lives of around 4.5 million civilians. We honour their memory, as well as that of millions of other victims of the Soviet people murdered at the hands of Hitler’s executioners, on April 19 – the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People.
#WeRemember
#Victory81
🏅April 4 marks 81 years since the liberation of Bratislava from the Nazi invaders.
Slovakia's capital was cleared of Hitler’s occupiers during the Bratislava-Brno Offensive (March 25 – May 5, 1945), carried out by the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Rodion Malinovsky.
💬 Chief of Staff of the 2nd Ukrainian Front Marshal Matvei Zakharov stressed that Slovak partisans provided valuable assistance to Red Army units and formations, including by sharing timely intelligence:
“Before the offensive on Bratislava began, the Front command managed to establish contact with Slovak partisans. They helped us greatly by supplying valuable information about the German army’s fortification system, the defence plans for individual cities, and the strength and combat composition of the enemy forces opposing us”.
☝️To avoid civilian casualties and spare Bratislava’s historic cityscape, Soviet forces refrained from using heavy artillery.
By April 2, Red Army formations had broken into the eastern and north-eastern districts of the city. On April 4, Soviet troops reached the central fortress – Bratislava Castle – where the remnants of the German garrison had taken shelter. By the end of the day, the city had fallen. Scattered Nazi units retreated in haste towards Vienna.
As during the liberation of other European countries, the Red Army provided humanitarian and economic assistance to the people of Bratislava and helped restore infrastructure.
By April 10, 1945, Bratislava’s central streets and squares had already been cleared of rubble and debris, the sewerage system was back in operation, and residents began returning en masse from nearby villages to their homes.
During the Bratislava-Brno Offensive, troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front advanced 200 km, routed 9 Wehrmacht divisions, and created the conditions for further offensives towards Prague and Vienna.
🎆To mark the victory, a ceremonial salute was fired in Moscow. The units that distinguished themselves in the battle for the city were awarded the honorary title “of Bratislava”.
6,845 Red Army soldiers fell in the battle for Bratislava. Most are buried at the Slavin military memorial complex in the centre of the Slovak capital.
#WeRemember
Khatyn Massacre
8️⃣3️⃣ years ago, in Nazi-occupied Belarus, an entire village was wiped out.
149 people were burned alive. 75 of them were children.
This atrocity was carried out by Ukrainian collaborators under German command (the 118th Schutzmannschaft Battalion and the SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger).
🇨🇦Canada gave asylum to two Nazi butchers of Khatyn: Joseph Vinnitskii and Vladimir Katriuk.
❗️They were never held accountable for their crimes and died in peace.
Memory cannot be selective.
No one is forgotten! Nothing is forgotten!
#Victory81#WeRemember
🇷🇺The Consul General of the Russian Federation in Toronto, Vladlen Epifanov, attended the farewell ceremony for Viktor Ulyanovich Khomenko (March 28, 1917).
🕯 The funeral procession for one of the world’soldest veterans of the Great Patriotic War and World War II (who passed away in his 1️⃣0️⃣9️⃣th year) was held with the participation of the Canadian Association of WWII Veterans from the Soviet Union, family members, and representatives of the Russian community.
💬Consul General Epifanov noted:
For us, this is a tremendous loss. But memory lives on as long as we preserve it in our hearts and pass it on to future generations.
☦️ The funeral service was conducted by Archpriest Vladimir Malchenko, Rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral. The veteran’s son and granddaughter were present at the ceremony.
🎖 He was laid to rest at the Veterans’ Section of York Cemetery in Toronto to the strains of the Alexandrov Ensemble hymn and a rifle salute by reenactors of the "191st Rifle Division".
🪖Memory eternal to the Hero. Our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
🔴🔴No one is forgotten! Nothing is forgotten!
#Victory81#WeRemember
#Victory81
🌟 On February 13, 1945, the Red Army expelled the Nazi invaders from the capital of Hungary as part of the Budapest offensive operation, opening the path to Austria and Czechoslovakia.
LiberatingEasternEuropeancountries, including Hungary, from the 'Nazi plague' came at a high cost for the Soviet people. Hundreds of thousands of our soldiers perished while fighting the Nazi invaders — our forces had to engage in heavy fighting and violent clashes to liberate Budapest, having lost over 80'000 soldiers and officers.
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Soviet military command attached special importance to planning offensive operations in Hungary — our forces had to face well-trained Nazi Wehrmacht and elite SS units that had entrenched behind multi-tiered defence line in Eastern European bridgehead — it served as the Reich’s main bulwark along the entire Soviet-German front.
📕 Excerpt from the memoires"From Budapest to Prague" by Lieutenant General, Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic MatveyZakharov, who headed the 2nd Ukrainian Front’s Staff:
The fascists spared no effort or assets to cling on to Hungary.
They built several defence lines in a relatively short period of time. One of them — the most powerful one — stretched along Danube’s right bank and included the fortified defence system near Budapest.
It included three well-equipped U-shaped positions reaching the Danube to the north and south of the Hungarian capital.
In December 1944, the Soviet forces succeeded during the Debrecen offensive operation when the units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front led by Marshal Rodion Malinovsky cleared about 1/3 of Hungary’s territory from the Nazis, inflicted huge damage on the enemy’s army group 'South' and launched the offensive on the Hungarian capital — the Germans had turned the city into one of the largest defence strongholds along the Danube.
The Nazis were determined to keep Budapest at any cost. Hitler's command considered Hungary as a major source of raw materials and an important ally within the 'axis' powers. To deter the Soviet motorized units, the fascists deployed in Hungary major elite SS tank units from the west to the Soviet-German front.
The battle for Budapest became brutal and violent. In December 1944, the units of the Red Army’s 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts encircled the Nazis, and went on eliminating the enemy troops in and around Budapest in January 1945.
When attacking the city and carrying out tactical operations, the Soviet soldiers-liberators saved thousands of people who were imprisoned in the Budapest ghetto. Mainly due to permanent attacks by the Red Army the Wehrmacht’s garrison suffered many casualties and was forced to retreat toward northwest, to Vienna.
During the Budapest offensive, the Soviet forces completely defeated an almost 200'000-strong enemy armygroup which had a mission to shield the main Nazi troops in the Reich’s underbelly — in Austria and Czechoslovakia. Having suffered a defeat in Hungary, the Germans started rapidly losing ground in Yugoslavia too.
🎖The success in Budapest fostered the liberation of Vienna and Prague just in a matter of weeks.
#WeRemember
🇷🇺The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Canada, together with the Consulate General of Russia in Toronto and the Canadian Association of World War II Veterans from the Soviet Union, held a traditional meeting with veterans, volunteers, and representatives of public organizations.
🇷🇺 The meeting served as an important platform for dialogue and for reviewing ongoing memorial and historical work. Participants discussed upcoming patriotic initiatives in the context of preparations for the 8️⃣1️⃣st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
💬Ambassador Oleg Stepanov:
Preserving the historical memory of Soviet people’s feat in the war remains our top priority. I would like to sincerely thank the veterans, volunteers, and active members of the Russian community in Canada for their efforts to defend the truth about Victory.
🔴 During the meeting, the Ambassador presented a commemorative gift from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to Arkady Nesonelievich Gorbunov, who celebrated his
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th birthday on September 5, 2025.
🪖 Arkady Gorbunov is a frontline veteran who endured a difficult combat path and was wounded twice. For his courage and bravery, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War (1st Class), as well as combat medals. After the war, he devoted himself to peaceful labor and science, working for many years at an aircraft manufacturing plant.
🔴🔴No one is forgotten. Nothing is forgotten.
#WeRemember#Victory81
#Victory81
🏅 In January 1944, Leningrad was completely liberated from the Nazi siege, which had lasted 8️⃣7️⃣2️⃣ days.
During this time, the city endured severe hunger, constant shelling, and bombing.
◾️ Facts about the genocide of the Soviet people in Leningrad 👉 More than 1 million people fell victim to the genocide. Of these, over 600,000 residents — children, women, the elderly, soldiers wounded and maimed at the front — died of hunger, cold, exhaustion, and disease.
Leningraders saw death all around them every day, but they did not lose their dignity and faith in Victory.
The memory of the Leningrad siege is preserved by museums, memorials, and the Piskarevskoye Cemetery, and the stories of survivors remind us of the courage and resilience of the city's residents.
#WeRemember
🎥The film was produced by the Information Department of the Administration of the Governor of St. Petersburg, commissioned by the Government of St. Petersburg, with the support of JSC "GATR" and the Archives Committee.
📆On February 3, 2026, the Embassy of Russia to Canada and representatives of the Russian community congratulated veterans on the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
🇷🇺 On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the commemorative medals “80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945” were presented to the following veterans:
1️⃣ Nadezhda Evseeva - former concentration camp prisoner;
2️⃣ Tamara Mitnik - survivor of the Siege of Leningrad.
🕯 During the heartfelt and informal conversation, the veterans shared their wartime memories, spoke of their families' fates, and recalled the courage and resilience with which the Soviet people endured immense hardship.
🔴🔴No one is forgotten! Nothing is forgotten!
#Victory81#WeRemember
🕯 On 27 January Russian diplomats together with Russian compatriots living in the United Kingdom laid a wreath and flowers at the Soviet War Memorial in London to mark the 82nd anniversary of the lifting of the Nazi siege of Leningrad.
Members of the Russian community in Manchester also held a flower-laying ceremony at a plaque unveiled in 2020 in honoured memory of the Soviet soldiers, who gave their lives liberating Europe and in recognition of the brave people of the besieged Leningrad.
On the eve of this date, the Russian diplomatic mission's staff conveyed greetings of the Governor of Saint Petersburg (former Leningrad) Alexander Beglov to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War – residents of the besieged Leningrad, who currently live in the UK.
The Nazi German blockade of the city stands as one of the most tragic yet heroic chapters in the history of our country. It lasted from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944 — 872 days of extreme hardship, hunger and deprivation. Historians estimate that no more than 800,000 of the three million inhabitants of Leningrad and its surrounding areas survived the siege.
The feat of Leningraders has become a symbol of unbreakable will, courage and self-sacrifice. The memory of those who died in the blockade will remain in our hearts forever.
#Victory81#WeRemember
“I did everything possible to fulfill my duty...”
🏅 On December 1, 1896, Georgy Zhukov was born – the legendary Marshal of Victory and four-time Hero of the Soviet Union, who played a pivotal role in the Soviet Union’s Victory over Nazi Germany.
Born into a peasant family, he joined the army in 1915 and fought in the First World War. He served in the Red Army from 1918, rising from platoon commander to Army General, and during the Great Patriotic War, in 1943, was awarded the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
He won his first major victory in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol in 1939. Thanks to Zhukov’s decisive actions, the Japanese army was encircled and destroyed, that became a key factor in Japan’s decision to abandon plans for a large-scale invasion of the USSR.
Zhukov’s strategic talent was displayed in full during the Great Patriotic War (World War II). He commanded the forces that defended Leningrad and Moscow, fought in the Battle of Kursk, crossed the Dnieper River, participated in the Byelorussian and Vistula-Oder offensives, and stormed Berlin. It was he who commanded the 1st Byelorussian Front during the final assault on Berlin, accepted Germany’s surrender, and took the first historic Victory Parade.
🎖 Marshal of the Soviet Union since 1943, three times Hero of the USSR, and two times Cavalier of the Order of Victory. In the postwar period, Georgy Zhukov was First Deputy Minister of Defence and later USSR Minister of Defence; he carried out sweeping reforms in the Soviet Army.
✍️ From Georgy Zhukov's memoirs: “The main thing for me was to serve my Motherland and my people. And I can say with clean conscience: I did everything possible to fulfill my duty… I was living my life with awareness that I worked for the benefit of my people, and this is the principal thing for any life.”
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